Nuclear plant shutting down, but customers still pay

Crystal River, Florida -- In 60 years, the smoke will be blown out for good at the Crystal River Nuclear Plant,and that's why Duke Energy was in Crystal River Thursday answering questions to customers about the facility's decommissioning.

'The Crystal River nuclear plant, Duke energy in general follows under Public Service Commission process for all the charges that are paid to a customer's bill. When we make upgrades to a plant whether its Crystal River nuclear plantor Levy nuclear plant or any of are plants, that's subject to Florida Public Service Commission process . They are state regulators and they determine how much we are able to charge customers," says Danenhower.

Duke is set to get roughly seven percent of the $100 million its customers will pay to stabilize the reactor's cracked containment building.

While customers are still paying for the botched job at the Crystal River plant and the non-existent Levy County plant, Duke Energy says when it comes to the decommission itself, that is something already taken care of: Duke has the $1.8 billion in a decommission trust fund secured away.